Hot-rolled steel foam and method for manufacturing hot-rolled steel foam

ABSTRACT

A steel foam sheet and a method of producing a hot-rolled steel sheet, wherein a steel slab is prepared by casting molten steel, the steel slab including a plurality of interconnected pores that form a substantially uniform pattern within the steel slab, wherein the steel slab is cooled, reheated, and hot rolled at a starting temperature of between 1050 degrees Celsius and 1230 degrees Celsius to form the steel slab into the hot-rolled steel sheet. The plurality of interconnected pores can be flattened during hot rolling. The hot-rolled steel sheet can also be cooled and heat treated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/829,236, filed on Apr. 4, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to hot-rolled steel foam and a method for manufacturing hot-rolled steel foam.

BACKGROUND

Metal is considered a foam if pores or voids are distributed within the metal to take up a certain minimum percentage of the total volume of the metal. The introduction of pores or voids into a metal component typically decreases the density and weight of the metal component compared to a solid metal component. Metal foam components also frequently display a higher plate bending stiffness and other desirable mechanical properties than solid metal components. Currently, commercial metal foam components are generally limited to aluminum, despite the fact that steel foam components would exhibit many superior properties if they could be produced in volume at reasonable cost.

Hot rolling is a metal forming process in which a metal is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness of the metal and make the thickness throughout the metal uniform. The temperature of the metal being rolled is typically above the recrystallization temperature of the metal.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to produce hot-rolled steel foam plates having consistent densities. In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to produce steel foam plates having predictable and enhanced mechanical properties.

Aspects of the present invention provide engineers working with hot-rolled steel a new degree of freedom: density. The design space potentially covered by steel applications can grow significantly with density as a variable. Among other things, the present invention opens new opportunities for designers to find suitable military and naval applications for not only energy absorption, but also blast resistant and ballistic applications to resist the impact of objects due to the high strength and hardness of products produced in accordance with structures and methods presented herein.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method of producing a hot-rolled steel sheet, wherein the method comprises preparing a steel slab by casting molten steel, the steel slab including a plurality of interconnected pores that form a substantially uniform pattern within the steel slab, cooling the steel slab, reheating the steel slab, hot rolling the steel slab at a starting temperature of between 1050 degrees Celsius and 1230 degrees Celsius to form the steel slab into the hot-rolled steel sheet, wherein the plurality of interconnected pores is flattened during hot rolling, and wherein the method further comprises cooling the hot-rolled steel sheet, and heat treating the hot-rolled steel sheet.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a hot-rolled steel sheet comprising a steel body having a chemical composition including, by mass %: C: 0.10% to 0.35%, Si: 0.2% to 0.8%, Mn: 0.5% to 1.5%, P: 0.00% to 0.025%, S: 0.00% to 0.025%, Al: 0.01% to 0.08%, Ni: 0.00% to 2.00%, Cr: 0.00 to 1.5%, Mo: 0.00% to 0.50%, and a balance including Fe and incidental impurities. The steel body includes a plurality of interconnected pores forming a substantially uniform pattern within the body, wherein the plurality of interconnected pores are flattened during a hot rolling process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steel foam slab according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a steel foam slab according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the steel foam slab of FIG. 2 taken along section line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a steel foam slab according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the steel foam slab of FIG. 4 taken along section line 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the steel foam slab of FIG. 4 taken along section line 6-6.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a steel foam sheet produced through hot rolling the steel foam slab of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a steel foam sheet produced through hot rolling the steel foam slab of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a steel foam sheet produced through hot rolling the steel foam slab of FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting a method of producing the steel foam sheets of FIG. 7, 8, or 9 through hot rolling.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an insert used to form the steel foam sheets of FIGS. 2-6 according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

Some embodiments of steel slabs according to the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,623,480 filed Dec. 19, 2014 and U.S. Pat. No. 10,493,522 filed Jun. 2, 2017, both of which are entitled “STEEL FOAM AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING STEEL FOAM,” the entire contents of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Embodiment of steel slabs according to the present invention have any combination of the chemical component elements set forth below. The component elements presented below can include limitations for the reasons described below, where the unit “%” relating to the chemical component elements in the steel refers to “mass %” unless specified otherwise.

C: 0.1% to 0.35%

Carbon (C) is an element used in steels to achieve surface hardness and strength, which is determined by the percentage of carbon and subsequent heat treatment. Generally, low carbon content steels provide improved toughness. Higher carbon contents provide higher strength, hardness, and hardenability. Carbon in excess of 0.35% contributes to increased brittleness and reduced weldability. Therefore, it is preferably that the carbon content is in the range of 0.10% to 0.35%.

Si: 0.2% to 0.8%

Silicon (Si) has high work hardenability to ensure that ductility is not substantially decreased as the strength is increased, thereby contributing to providing an improved balance between strength and ductility after heat treatment. In addition, silicon is an element typically required to improve material homogeneity by promoting ferrite transformation in the hot rolling stage, and securing a desired grain size and a desired volume fraction. Silicon content of greater than 0.2% produces such an effect. If silicon content exceeds 0.8%, hot-dip galvanizing properties after annealing deteriorate significantly.

Mn: 0.5% to 1.5%

Manganese (Mn) is an element that can contribute to the hardenability of steels, meaning increasing the depth of hardness. In some embodiments, the Mn content is less than 1.5% due to the tendency of Mn to segregate, and the adverse effect of Mn on quench cracking. In quantities greater than 0.5%, Mn can reduce the potential for harmful Type II MnS inclusions in steel. The desired ratio of Mn to Sulfur is 10 to 1. Therefore, the desirable range of Mn is 0.5% to 1.5%

P: less than 0.025%

Phosphorous (P) is an element that can contribute to an increase in the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature, and reduced toughness and ductility in steels. Phosphorous is generally an undesirable element in steels, which preferably is limited to a phosphorous content of less than 0.025%.

S: less than 0.025%

Sulfur (S) in high quantities may form low-melting iron sulfide, a grain boundary phase that causes severe hot shortness during hot rolling if manganese content is not sufficient to counter this effect. Sulfur can also decrease toughness and ductility in steels. Sulfur is generally an undesirable element in steels, which preferably is limited to a sulfur content of less than 0.025%.

Al: 0.01% to 0.08%

Aluminum (Al) is an element often required for deoxidation, which also prevents the formation of gas porosity. Al is also useful in preventing grain growth during heat treatment. In some embodiments, the content of Al is greater than 0.01% to produce such an effect. However, since Al content exceeding 0.08% can lead to the formation of aluminum nitride phase at the grain boundaries and can reduce the toughness and ductility of steel, Al content of 0.08% or less is preferred.

Ni: less than 2.00%

Nickel (Ni) is an element contributing to high strengthening of steel by reducing the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature in steel, and also contributing to high strengthening by increasing quench hardenability during heat treatment. Nickel content of greater than 2.00% can contribute to steels that are prone to the formation of undesirably retained austenite during heat treatment, since nickel is an austenite stabilizer. Therefore, it is preferred that the content of Nickel is less than 2.00%.

Cr: less than 1.5%

Chromium (Cr) is an element contributing to high strengthening of steel by improving hardenability during heat treatment. If Cr content exceeds 1.5%, quench cracking in low alloy steels typically increases. Cr is ordinarily used with other alloying elements, such as Molybdenum. Thus, Cr content of less than 1.5% is preferred.

Mo: less than 0.5%

Molybdenum (Mo) is an element contributing to high strengthening of steel by increasing quench hardenability, and is typically present in high strength low alloy steels. Mo typically reduces the temper embrittlement in steels, and improves the toughness of low alloy steels. If Mo content exceeds 0.5%, no improvement in the effect is recognized in some embodiments. Thus, Mo content of less than 0.5% is preferred.

In the chemical compositions as explained above, the balance of the steel disclosed herein is iron (Fe), and can also include incidental impurities.

The incidental impurities can include, for instance, Sb, Sn, Zn, and Co, and their permissible ranges can be Sb: 0.01% or less; Sn: 0.1% or less; Zn: 0.01% or less; and Co: 0.1% or less. In addition, Ti and Zr may be contained within ranges of ordinary steel compositions, to the extent that the desired effects are not lost. In further embodiments, steel slabs according to the present invention may include chemical compositions that differ from the chemical compositions detailed above. For example, the chemical composition may be that of high alloy steels such as stainless steels, or the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates a steel slab 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, prior to a hot rolling cycle. The illustrated steel slab 100 includes a body 104 in the shape of a rectangular prism. The body 104 includes a first face 108 that is generally square in shape, a second face 112 that is generally square in shape and located opposite the first face, and a peripheral edge 116 extending between the first face 108 and the second face 112. The first face 108 and the second face 112 each define an outside face of a first panel 117. In other embodiments, the body 104 may be other desired shapes, and the first face 108 and the second face 112 may likewise have different shapes. As shown, the peripheral edge 116 is four-sided, although the peripheral edge 116 can have fewer or more sides in other embodiments. A distance between the first face 108 and the second face 112 represents a thickness of the peripheral edge 116, which in some embodiments is the smallest dimension of the body 104 in comparison to larger length and width dimensions. In some embodiments, the thickness is greater than 1 inch. In other embodiments, the thickness is less than 2 inches. In the illustrated embodiment, the thickness is within a range of 1 inch to 2 inches. In further embodiments, the thickness may be less than 1 inch or greater than 2 inches.

With continued reference to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the body 104 also includes a plurality of interconnected pores 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the interconnected pores 120 form a substantially uniform pattern within the steel slab 100. The substantially uniform pattern can be a generally two-dimensional pattern (a grid, array, or lattice, by way of example only) that can define a rectangular pattern within the body 104. In other embodiments, the substantially uniform pattern can be a three-dimensional pattern that can also define a rectangular or prismatic pattern within the body 104. In other embodiments, the two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrangement of pores 120 do not define an identifiable pattern as just described, yet still define a network of interconnected pores 120 within the body 104. The pores 120 are empty voids in the steel slab 100, with each of the plurality of pores 120 connected to at least one other of the plurality of pores 120. In some embodiments, the pores 120 are spherical in shape, and are connected together by cylindrically-shaped voids. In other embodiments, the pores 120 may have any other desired or suitable shape, such cubes, pyramids, or other prisms, cones, tetrahedrons, octahedrons, dodecahedrons, icosahedrons, ellipsoids, tori, ovular shapes, irregular faceted and non-faceted shapes, and the like.

Although in some embodiments (such as in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1) the pores 120 have the same shape, in other embodiments two or more pore shapes exist within the body 104. In such embodiments, pores 120 having different shapes can be interconnected as described above, or different unconnected networks of pores can each have a common pore shape that differs from pore network to pore network. Similarly, although in some embodiments (such as the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1) the pores have the same size, in other embodiments two or more pore sizes exist within the body 104. In such embodiments, pores 120 having different sizes can be interconnected as described above, or different unconnected networks of pores can each have a common pore size that differs from pore network to pore network.

The pores 120 in the illustrated embodiment are arranged in a series of pore rows 124 and pore columns 128, with the pore rows 124 being parallel to a horizontal axis H, and the pore columns 128 being parallel to a vertical axis V. As used herein, terms of orientation such as “horizontal” and “vertical” are for ease of description only, and are not intended to be limiting absent specific reference to the same in the appended claims. As also shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, pores 120 of the body 104 communicate through the peripheral edge 132 of the steel foam component 100. Any number of pores 120 can be open to any one or more of the first and second faces 108, 112, the peripheral edge 116, and/or other exterior surfaces of the body 104 in other embodiments.

In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of pores 120 forms at least 20% of a total volume of the steel body 104. In some embodiments, the pores 120 may form 20% of the total volume. In other embodiments, the pores 120 may form at least 50% of a total volume of the steel body 104. In other embodiments, the pores 120 may form between 20% and 50% of the total volume. In further embodiments, the pores 120 may form less than 50% of the total volume. In still other embodiments, the pores 120 may form 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, or 45% of the total volume of the steel body 104. In some embodiments, the calculation of volume (in which the plurality of pores 120 occupies) is made by identifying the bounds of the volume in the body 104 in which the pores 120 exist, and then calculating the space occupied within that volume. Such a calculation can be made, for example, in products in which only a portion of the body 104 has pores 120.

As just described, in some embodiments the plurality of interconnected pores 120 does not extend through an entirety of the steel body 104, such that at least a portion of the steel body 104 is solid. For example, one or more sections of the steel body 104 may include pores to decrease the density of that section(s), while one or more other sections of the steel body 104 may not include pores 120, and may be entirely or relatively solid. By way of example only, the one or more sections with pores 120 may be located in a center of the steel body 104, near one or more edges of the steel body 104, or both. In these and other embodiments, the pores 120 may create a gradient density within the steel body 104 such that the density of pores 120 is different in different locations in the body 104.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a steel slab 200 prior to the hot rolling cycle according to another embodiment of the present invention. The steel slab 200 includes a body 204 having pores 220 arranged in a series of pore rows 224 and pore columns 228, similar to the steel slab 100 of FIG. 1. The pores 220 of FIGS. 2 and 3, however, are empty voids shaped as triangular prisms. The triangular prism voids in the illustrated embodiment are disposed at alternating pore rows 224. In other words, the triangular prism voids are disposed at every other pore row 224. At the pore rows 224 that include the triangular prism voids, the triangular prism voids are equally spaced along the pore row 224 such that every pore column 228 includes the triangular prism voids. At the pore rows 224 that do not include triangular prism voids, a rectangular prism void is formed. The rectangular prism voids extend from one peripheral edge 216, to an opposite peripheral edge 216 of the body 204 such that the pore row 224 forms a continuous void. The rectangular prism voids allow communication between triangular prism voids at different pore rows 224 along the pore columns 228. In other words, the rectangular prism voids interconnect the triangular prism voids to form the interconnected pores 220.

With continued reference to the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the illustrated pores 220 form a strut structure 230 between a first panel 217 and a second panel 218 of the steel slab 200. The strut structure 230 is defined by a plurality of struts 232 extending between the first panel 217 and the second panel 218. Each strut 232 in the illustrated embodiment is a linear element, although in other embodiments some or all of the struts 232 can have other shapes connecting the first and second panels 217, 218, such as curved, stepped, and/or tapered struts. Each strut 232 in the illustrated embodiment is also obliquely angled relative to planes defined by the first panel 217 and the second panel 218. Also in the illustrated embodiment, each strut 232 is angled to a similar degree. For example, each strut 232 may be angled approximately 60 degrees relative to the planes defined by the first panel 217 and the second panel 218. Each strut 232 may alternatively be angled at different degrees, such as 45 degrees, 30 degrees, and the like. In other embodiments, the struts 232 may be oriented at still other angles relative to each other, and/or can each be oriented with respect to the first and second panels 217, 218 at different respective oblique angles. The illustrated struts form truss-like structure between the first panel 217 and the second panel 218.

The first panel 217 and second panel 218 of the illustrated embodiment are flat panels. The panels 217, 218 may also be referred to as skins. Each panel 217, 218 is generally rectangular and planar. In the illustrated embodiment, the first panel 217 and the second panel 218 have similar thicknesses. In other embodiments, the panels 217, 218 may have unequal thicknesses. Additionally or alternatively, the first and second panels 217, 218 may have other (e.g., non-planar and/or non-rectangular) shapes, such as circular, oblong, and the like, or any of the other shapes described above in connection with the body 104 illustrated in FIG. 1. Further, panels 217, 218 may have thicknesses that vary over a length and/or width of the steel slab 200.

Together, the first panel 217, the second panel 218, and the strut structure 230 of the illustrated embodiment form a composite panel. The composite panel may also be referred to as a sandwich panel. In some embodiments, the first panel 217, the second panel 218, and the strut structure 230 may be integrally formed as a single unit. For example, the steel slab 200 may be formed using any of the methods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,623,480 and 10,493,522. In other embodiments, the first panel 217, the second panel 218, and the strut structure 230 may be formed as separate pieces that are secured together in any suitable manner, such as by welding. In such embodiments, at least the strut structure 230 may still be formed using any of the methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,623,480. In some embodiments, the strut structure 230 may be integrally formed with only one of the panels 217, 218, and the other panel 217, 218 may be secured (e.g., welded) to the strut structure 230.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate a steel slab 300 prior to the hot rolling cycle according to another embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated steel slab 300 includes a body 304 having pores 320 that are empty voids shaped as triangular prisms. In the illustrated embodiment, the pores 320 are arranged in a series of pore rows 324 and pore columns 328 forming triangular prism voids and rectangular prism voids, similar to the pores 220 in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3. Additionally, however, the pores 320 in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 are arranged in multiple layers. The illustrated layers are arranged along a thickness of the body 304 of the steel slab 300. The layers alternate between a panel layer 350 and a void layer 354. The panel layer 350 defines a solid rectangular prism, similar to the first and second panels 217, 218 of FIG. 2. The illustrated steel slab 300 includes three panel layers 350 and two void layers 354 such that the void layers 354 are sandwiched between adjacent panel layers 350. In additional embodiments, the steel slab 300 may include alternate numbers of the panel layers 350 and void layers 354 in any desired arrangement (e.g., two void layers 354 immediately adjacent one another, any number of additional alternative panel and void layers 350, 354, and the like).

FIG. 7 illustrates a hot-rolled steel sheet 100 b according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hot-rolled steel sheet 100 b is the steel slab 100 shown in FIG. 1 after the steel slab 100 has undergone a hot rolling process as disclosed herein. The steel sheet 100 b has the same chemical composition as described above in relation to the steel slab 100. The steel sheet 100 b includes a steel body 104 b that is similar in shape to the steel body 104, but has been flattened. When compared with the first face 108 and the second face 112 of the steel slab 100, a first face 108 b and a second face 112 b of the steel sheet 100 b have greater surface areas. A thickness of a peripheral edge 116 b (i.e., a distance between the first face 108 b and the second face 112 b) of the steel sheet 100 b is less than a thickness of the peripheral edge 116 of the steel slab 100. In some embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 116 b may be reduced between 25% and 75% relative to the thickness of the peripheral edge 116. In some embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 116 b may be reduced at least 25%. In other embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 116 b may be reduced at least 50%. In yet other embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 116 b may be reduced at least 75%. In some embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 116 b may be reduced less than 75%. In further embodiments, the thickness may be reduced 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, or 75%. The illustrated peripheral edge 116 b has a thickness within a range of 0.25 inches to 0.75 inches. However, in some embodiments, the thickness may be less than 0.25 inches or greater than 0.75 inches.

The steel body 104 b also includes a plurality of interconnected pores 120 b forming a substantially uniform pattern within the body 104 b. In some embodiments, the pores 120 b have generally the same shape and configuration as the pores 120 described above in connection with FIG. 1, but are flattened during the hot rolling process. The pores 120 b may also still be interconnected as also described above in connection with FIG. 1. In some embodiments, some of the pores 120 b may no longer be interconnected due to the flattening process. In other embodiments, all or substantially all of the pores 120 b may no longer be interconnected (e.g., each of the pores 120 b may be isolated from adjacent pores 120 b) due to the flattening process that collapses the channels between adjacent pores 120 b. After hot rolling, at least some of the plurality of interconnected pores 120 b have substantially oval shaped cross-sections. In other embodiments, the pores 120 b may have other flattened shapes (e.g., flattened oblong shapes, football-shaped, flattened cubic shapes, flattened polygonal shapes, etc.), depending at least in part upon the starting shapes of the pores 120. Further, some of the pores 120 b may be flattened to different degrees relative to other pores 120 b. By way of example only, pores 120 b closer to a center of the body 104 b may be more flattened than pores 120 b closer to the peripheral edge 116 b of the body 104 b, or vice versa.

The steel slabs of FIGS. 1-6 may be hot rolled into hot-rolled steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b of FIGS. 7-9. The pores of the hot-rolled steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b, can include generally the same shapes as the pores 120, 220, 320 described above, but with flattened profiles (resulting from the hot rolling process) when viewed in a cross-sectional plane oriented perpendicularly with respect to the opposite exterior surfaces of the sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b. Accordingly, the hot-rolled steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b can have a plurality of flattened interconnected pores forming a substantially uniform pattern within the sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b. Like the steel slabs from which the steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b are formed, the substantially uniform pattern can be a generally two-dimensional pattern (a grid, array, or lattice, by way of example only) that can define a rectangular pattern within the body of the steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b. In other embodiments, the substantially uniform pattern can be a three-dimensional pattern that can also define a rectangular or prismatic pattern within the body of the steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b. In other embodiments, the two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrangement of pores do not define an identifiable pattern as just described, yet still define a network of interconnected pores within the steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b.

As described above, the pores 120, 220, 320 can become flattened (i.e., having a flattened profile) from the hot rolling process also described herein. As a result, the pores 120, 200, 320 can each take on a shape in which each pore has length and/or width dimensions (in the plane of the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b) that are larger than the thickness dimensions (in a direction that is perpendicular to the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b). In some embodiments, at least a majority of the pores in the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b have this shape and orientation. Also in some embodiments, at least 80% of the pores in the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b have this shape and orientation.

Also as a result of the hot rolling process, the pores 120, 200, 320 can each take on a shape in which each pore has length (i.e., largest dimension) oriented generally in a common direction. In some embodiments, the common direction is the direction in which the steel slab 100, 200, 300 was rolled, or in the length (i.e., largest dimension) direction of the steel slab and steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b. In some embodiments, at least a majority of the pores in the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b have this orientation. Also in some embodiments, at least 80% of the pores in the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b have this shape and orientation.

The pores in the resulting steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b can still have the same general shape and/or relative arrangement as that in the steel slabs 100, 200, 300 from which the steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b were formed, albeit with a generally flattened profile as described above. Accordingly, pores 120 having different shapes interconnected as described above can still have different shapes and interconnections. Similarly, pores 120, 220, 320 having two or more different pore sizes within the steel slabs 100, 200, 300 can still have two more different flattened pore sizes within the steel sheets 100 b, 200 b, 300 b.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart depicting a method of hot rolling a steel slab. References below to the steel slab generally refer to the steel slabs from FIGS. 1-6. References below to the steel sheet generally refer to the hot-rolled steel sheets from FIGS. 7-9, which depicts the steel slabs 100, 200, 300 after the steel slabs 100, 200, 300 have been hot-rolled. Although the method is described with reference to certain steps, not all of the steps need to be performed or need to be performed in the order presented. It will be appreciated that the method discussed below is equally applicable to steel foam slabs including other pore shapes, pore sizes, and pore arrangements as discussed herein.

At Step 400, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 is prepared by, for example, sand casting molten steel. Possible methods of preparing the steel slab 100 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,623,480 and 10,493,522, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. As described above, the steel slab 100 includes the plurality of interconnected pores 120 that can form a substantially uniform pattern within the steel slab 100. In some embodiment, the interconnected pores 120 are formed through the method of casting the molten steel into the steel slab 100. In some embodiments, the interconnected pores 120 are formed as a plurality of spheres and cylinders. To prepare the steel slab of FIG. 2, a similar method described in the '480 and '522 patents is used with an insert 500 shown in FIG. 11. To prepare the steel slab of FIG. 4, two of the inserts 500 may be used to create the pore layers 350 between the panel layers 354. The inserts 500 may be separated by, for example, one or more shims when positioned within a mold. In further embodiments, more than two inserts 500 may be used to create a steel slab with more than two pore layers.

After the steel slab 100, 200, 300 has been prepared, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 is cooled (Step 404). In some embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 may be cooled to 600 degrees Celsius. The steel slab 100, 200, 300 is cooled within, for example, six hours of completing preparation of the steel slab 100, 200, 300. In other embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 may be cooled to other suitable temperatures, or within other time periods.

After the steel slab 100, 200, 300 has been cooled in the illustrated embodiment, an antiscale coating is applied to the steel slab 100, 200, 300 (Step 408). The antiscale coating may be applied to interior and exterior surfaces of the steel slab 100, 200, 300 to reduce or minimize scaling of the interconnected pores 120 (Step 408). In some embodiments, this step may be omitted.

With continued reference to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 10, following applying the antiscale coating, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 is reheated (Step 412). In some embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 may be reheated to a temperature of 1050 to 1230 degrees Celsius. In other embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 may be reheated to other suitable temperatures. Reheating may occur in, for example, a soaking oven. The steel slab 100, 200, 300 can be soaked in the soaking oven for a time of 1.5 hours per inch of thickness of the slab. For example, in some embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 has a thickness of 1 inch to 2 inches, which corresponds to a soaking time of 1.5 hours to 3 hours. The soaking oven may be a gas-fired or oil-fired soaking oven. In additional embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 may be heated through induction heating, or in other suitable manners.

At Step 416, the reheated steel slab 100, 200, 300 begins a hot rolling cycle. The starting temperature of the steel slab 100, 200, 300 as it begins the hot rolling cycle may be between 1050 degrees Celsius and 1230 degrees Celsius. In some embodiments, the hot rolling cycle begins by passing the steel slab 100, 200, 300 between a first roller and a second roller of a mill. The first roller and the second roller can rotate in opposing directions, thereby moving the steel slab 100, 200, 300 through the rollers. The steel slab 100, 200, 300 can be passed through the first roller and the second roller in a range of two to six passes, or may be passed through multiple sets of rollers, forming the steel sheet 100 b. The number of passes the steel slab 100, 200, 300 undergoes can correspond to a reduction of thickness of the steel slab 100, 200, 300 of between 25% and 75%. In some embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 starts the hot rolling cycle at a thickness in a range of 1 inch to 2 inches, and the steel sheet 100 b finishes hot rolling at a thickness in a range of 0.25 of an inch to 0.75 of an inch. In other embodiments, the steel slab 100, 200, 300 may have other starting thicknesses, and/or the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 c may have other finishing thicknesses.

Through the process of hot rolling, in some embodiments the interconnected pores 120 are flattened. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the pores 120 are flattened such that at least some of the plurality of pores 120 b have substantially oval-shaped cross-sections. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of pores 120 b will have substantially similar oval-shaped cross-sections, while the plurality of pores in additional embodiments may include cross-sections that vary in size and shape. In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 4, the pores 220, 320 are flattened such that at least some of the plurality of pores have flattened triangular-shaped cross-sections.

At Step 420, the hot rolling process ends. In some embodiments, a final temperature of the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 c as the steel sheet completes hot rolling is greater than or equal to 850 degrees Celsius. In the event that the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b reaches the final temperature prior to a desired thickness being reached, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 c can again be soaked in a soaking oven to increase the temperature of the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b. Once the temperature of the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b has increased, the hot rolling cycle may continue.

At Step 424, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b is cooled. In some embodiments, cooling of the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b may begin within five seconds of completion of hot rolling. The cooling of the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b may be an uncontrolled cooling process, meaning the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b does not undergo further treatment to facilitate cooling. In other embodiments, the cooling process may be controlled. In one example, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b is initially cooled at a cooling rate in the range of 2 degrees Celsius per minute to 10 degrees Celsius per minute until the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b reaches an ambient temperature of approximately 30 degrees Celsius.

At step 428 of the illustrated embodiment, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b is heat treated. In some embodiments, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b may be heat treated through a quenching and tempering process. In other embodiments, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b may be heat treated through a normalizing and tempering process. The steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b can be heat treated to achieve a hardness in a range of, for example, 150 Brinell hardness number (BHN) to 400 BHN. In some embodiments, the steel sheet 100 b, 200 b, 300 b may be heat treated to have a hardness of 150 BHN, 200 BHN, 250 BHN, 300 BHN, 350 BHN, or 400 BHN. In other embodiments, the steel sheet 100 b may be heat treated to have a hardness less than 150 BHN or greater than 400 BHN. In further embodiments, this step may be omitted.

As noted above, FIG. 11 illustrates the insert 500 used for forming the strut structure 230 of the steel slabs 200, 300 shown in FIGS. 2-6. The illustrated insert 500 includes two faces 504, 508 and a series of channels 512 extending between the faces 504, 508. The channels 512 are voids of space matching the shapes of the struts 232 (FIG. 2). As such, the channels 512 may be formed to have different configurations (e.g., angles, lengths, thicknesses, etc.) depending on the desired configurations of the struts 232.

The insert 500 can be used in a sand casting process, such as the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,623,480 and 10,493,522. As such, the insert 500 may formed using similar materials and processes disclosed in the '480 and '522 patents, such as 3-D printing.

The above techniques allow for the creation of steel sheets or composite panels, with ballistic-resistant application for, for example, military structures (e.g., ballistic plates), civilian structures (e.g., building and bridges), naval applications, and the like. In some scenarios, the steel sheets may be used in ships or aircrafts. The steel sheets or composite panels also have applications in energy absorption, blast resistance, and sound absorption. The steel foam slabs used to cast the steel sheets allow for large steel sheets to be produced cost-effectively, as larger thickness sections of the steel slabs may be used. Structural advantages of steel foam sheets compared to solid steel sheets include minimization of weight, maximization of flexural strength, increased energy dissipation, and increased damping.

Although the steel slabs 100, 200, 300 are all described above as going through a hot-rolling process, in some scenarios, the steel slabs 100, 200, 300 may be used as-is without hot-rolling. For example, some applications may require a combination of panels that are both hot-rolled and not hot-rolled. Alternatively, some applications may only require panels that are not hot-rolled.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing a hot-rolled steel foam sheet, the method comprising: preparing a steel foam slab by sand casting molten steel, the steel foam slab including a plurality of interconnected pores that form a substantially uniform pattern within the steel foam slab; cooling the steel foam slab; reheating the steel foam slab; hot rolling the steel foam slab at a starting temperature of between 1050 degrees Celsius and 1230 degrees Celsius to form the steel foam slab into the hot-rolled steel foam sheet, wherein the plurality of interconnected pores is flattened during hot rolling; cooling the hot-rolled steel foam sheet; and heat treating the hot-rolled steel foam sheet.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steel foam slab has a thickness, and wherein hot rolling includes reducing the thickness of the steel foam slab between 25% and 75%.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the thickness of the steel foam slab is within a range of 1 inch to 2 inches, and wherein reducing the thickness of the steel foam slab includes reducing the thickness to within a range of 0.25 inches to 0.75 inches.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying an antiscale coating to the steel foam slab.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein applying the antiscale coating includes applying a coating to reduce scaling of the plurality of interconnected pores.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein hot rolling further includes passing the steel foam slab through hot rollers between two and six times.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising soaking the steel foam slab at the starting temperature for at least 1.0 to 1.5 hours per inch of thickness of the steel foam slab.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein heat treating the hot-rolled steel foam sheet includes heat treating the hot-rolled steel foam sheet subsequent to cooling the hot-rolled steel foam sheet to achieve a hardness in a range of 150 BHN to 400 BHN
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein heat treating the hot-rolled steel foam sheet includes quenching and tempering the hot-rolled steel foam sheet or normalizing and tempering the hot-rolled steel foam sheet.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the steel foam slab further includes forming the plurality of interconnected pores as a plurality of spheres and cylinders.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein hot rolling further includes flattening the plurality of pores such that at least some of the plurality of pores have substantially oval-shaped cross-sections.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the steel foam slab further includes providing the steel foam slab with a chemical composition including, by mass %: C: 0.10% to 0.35%, Si: 0.2% to 0.8%, Mn: 0.5% to 1.5%, P: 0.00% to 0.025%, S: 0.00% to 0.025%, Al: 0.01% to 0.08%, Ni: 0.00% to 2.00%, Cr: 0.00% to 1.5%, Mo: 0.00% to 0.50%, and a balance including Fe and incidental impurities.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the steel foam slab further includes forming the plurality of interconnected pores to represent at least 20% of a total volume of the steel foam slab.
 14. A hot-rolled steel foam sheet comprising: a steel body having a chemical composition including, by mass %: C: 0.10% to 0.35%, Si: 0.2% to 0.8%, Mn: 0.5% to 1.5%, P: 0.00% to 0.025%, S: 0.00% to 0.025%, Al: 0.01% to 0.08%, Ni: 0.00% to 2.00%, Cr: 0.00% to 1.5%, Mo: 0.00% to 0.50%, and a balance including Fe and incidental impurities, the steel body including a plurality of interconnected pores forming a substantially uniform pattern within the body, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected pores have a flattened profile when viewed in a cross-sectional plane that is perpendicular to a thickness of the steel body.
 15. The hot-rolled steel foam sheet of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interconnected pores form at least 20% of a total volume of the steel body.
 16. The hot-rolled steel foam sheet of claim 14, wherein at least some of the plurality of interconnected pores have substantially oval-shaped cross-sections.
 17. The hot-rolled steel foam sheet of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interconnected pores does not extend through an entirety of the steel body such that at least a portion of the steel body is solid.
 18. The hot-rolled steel foam sheet of claim 14, wherein the steel body has a hardness in a range of 150 BHN to 400 BHN.
 19. The hot-rolled steel foam sheet of claim 14, wherein the steel body is no greater 0.75 inches
 20. The hot-rolled steel foam sheet of claim 14, wherein the steel foam body comprises a first portion having the plurality of interconnected pores, and a second portion having another plurality of interconnected pores with a density different from the density of the first portion. 